Cameron Smith has revealed what he said to Queensland at half-time after the Maroons’ spirited second half performance.
The State of Origin great was captured in the sheds after the first half, taking a rest from his commentary duties to inspire the troops.
Queensland led 10-6 at the break but a try to Liam Martin after 31 minutes gave the Blues momentum.
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NSW hit the lead after half-time but Smith’s message must’ve been ringing in their ears in the final 10 minutes with the Maroons scoring two tries with only 12 men on the field and Ben Hunt defending at centre.
Speaking post-game, Smith said his message included plenty of positive feedback after Queensland’s defence held out the Blues on numerous occasions.
“I was just applauding the side for their efforts, particularly on their goal line defence in the first half – NSW spent plenty of time and there was plenty of tackles inside the Maroons 20 metre zone,” he said on Nine’s coverage.
“I was just reiterating what the coaches said just before I got in there.”
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Despite the positivity, Smith did specify one area he wanted to see improvement from the side.
“I just asked the team just to be better at their first three tackles though when we kicked down at NSW,” he explained.
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“The back three were coming back (really well with) Tedesco, Crichton and Brian To’o. (The message was) just to be better at those first three tackles, if we can control their momentum we can control their later plays with Cleary and Luai and Isaah Yeo getting involved.”
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Having been part of an eight-year Maroons dynasty, and witnessing a memorable victory on Wednesday night at Adelaide Oval, Smith went on to praise the character of the side.
“The one thing you cannot question from this football side is their commitment to each other, their commitment to this football side, and commitment to the state of Queensland and people watching at home,” he said.
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